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Slow down on high-speed rail plan

Published on 2017-05-24 in the Toronto Star

The Ontario government believes it’s a “rail transformation” of unprecedented scale. With a $21 billion price tag, the high-speed rail (HSR) will certainly be the most expensive train set any government has ever acquired in Canada. It could also be the most expensive public transport misstep.

For most intercity commuters in the Toronto-London corridor, the HSR is unlikely to offer faster door-to-door travel times than those by car. The highest achievable speeds of 250 to 300 km/h are substantially higher than the average travel speed by rail for the entire journey.